Philadelphia Phillies: 5 players who might be due for a rough 2021 season

Sep 14, 2020; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) reacts after striking out against the Miami Marlins in the eighth inning of the game at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 14, 2020; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) reacts after striking out against the Miami Marlins in the eighth inning of the game at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports /
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While optimism is always high during the offseason, there’s inevitably players that will end up struggling by the time the regular season ends up rolling around. While I hate to be *super negative* before Spring Training has even picked up, the Philadelphia Phillies play in arguably the most competitive division in all of baseball, meaning there won’t be much wiggle room when it comes to game day performances.

Unfortunately, there will have to some names who end up struggling in 2021.

With that said, there are five specific players currently on the Phillies roster that come to mind when projecting who’ll have a rough go this year.

These players could struggle for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2021.

Andrew McCutchen, LF

Signed to a massive three-year/$50 million contract back during the 2019 offseason, Andrew McCutchen was supposed to bring some legitimate star-power to the Phillies lineup.

Things were looking pretty good for Cutch through the first 59 games of the season, but then he tore his ACL during a rundown between first and second base. The injury sidelined McCutchen for the rest of the 2019 season, ultimately lingering into the shortened 2020 campaign a bit as well.

McCutchen still has some nice pop to his bat, but his speed and overall ability to move have seriously decreased due to his age and his knee injury.

McCutchen recorded a defensive WAR of -1.0 last season, and it’s hard to imagine things magically improving this offseason. Not only will Cutch likely continue to struggle in the outfield in 2021, but he’ll likely see his overall reps decrease as guys like Adam Haseley and Scott Kingery are rotated into the outfield.